Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-04-23
BY RAILROAD OR WATER.
IMPORTANT PETITION PRESENTED TO
THE INTERSTATE COMMISSIONERS.


not Compete for Through Freight-RaiI
road Gossip-Dynamite Gunboat Test.
Other Washington Affairs.
WASHINGTON, April %. ~ Col George
Gray, attorney for the Northern Pacific Rail
road company, at the session of the inter-
state commerce commission, presented a
petition of his road, in which it is stated that
a carrier by railroad cannot compete success
fully with carrier by water for any consid-
cradle period for the reason that rates which
would be remunerative to the latter would
entail a loss upon the former; that the Cana
dian Pacific railroad, subject only to the
laws of Canada, and unrestricted by the in
terstate commerce laws, can and has put its
rate so low that it has deprived the Northern
Pacific railroad of by far greater part Of
its transcontinental business.
The petition concludes by asking that the
fourth section of the bill be suspended. Col
Gray explained the petition at length and
said the question was not so much as con-
STRUNG the fourth section in favor OF tnt
railroads, as modifying it in favor OF t.Io
American people; for tIle result would lnes-
itably be the destruction of Americll indus
"
transcontinental carrying business TO foreign
lneS or building up water carriage Dllsi.
ness to be CARRIED In foreign bott rs, In
answer to question by Commissioners
Schoonmaker Coz Gray said 1t was neces-
sary TO suspend the IoIftn sec0loI for til,
colAinued prosperity OF tne ro.G.
Mr.. j. D. Searle, who represented the ST.
gar refiners of New YORK, appear 10
protest against the suspels4oL OF The long
and short haul clause OF the law He pro
tested against any special raotS Tor Paci.it
coast retlners to Tie Miss .sSippi vaAey wi--tn
would operate to their disadvantage.
All petlplo.ls having been 1iled, Mr.. z. U.
Tart, on benaH OF Su.ton a. Company, al
dressed tho commission at lc.lstn iii
which ne sal if tine tourGl section was sus-
pended it would simply be u atn to the clip
per carrying trade of the coanlry: it would
defeat the OBJECT sought to be accomplished
by the passage of this bal. Let the ulll re-
main as it is and its practical operation be-
tween no and the meeting of congress
would del 4onstrate whether IL was not Oh
the whole beneficial. Ii the railroads exerted
the same energy in carrying out the law that
they are using TO secdre its suspension, he
thought they would not find such hardshlpS
in it as poalLed out in their petitions.
In answer to Commissioner Schoonmaker,
as to whether, ii the facts set forth about the
Canadian Pacific were correct, the clipper
ships would not be in the same position lie
said ne was in Iavor of enforcing the law
against the Pacific roads
.'Why not lei the roads adjust themselves
to the new soage or things ASKED Commas
sioner Scnoonnaker.
II would enforce the law" replied Mr..
Taft.
"Hang them first suggested Commits
sioner Schoonlnaker.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Taft's remarks
the commissioners adjourned A communf-
cation has been received from certain farm,
ers OF Orange county, New York, pl otesting
that the rates of the New York, Lake Erie
& Western Railway company, for trans
porting milk to Jersey City are unreason-
aule and unjust. Similar complaints are
lodged against the New York, Ontario a.
Western, the New York, Susquehanna 81
Western, and the Lehigh Valley and Hudson
River railway. Justice Bateman q Co.,
wool commission merchants, protest against
the suspension of the fourth section
saComnents of the Baltimore Sum-
WASHINGTON, April 23-The Baltimore
\ Sun has the following railroad gossip:
s'Presidehe Robert Garrett, OF the Baltimore
& Ohio Railroad company, left Atlantic
City, Saflrda u for Phi ladeiphia, 70 meet
some financial people NY engagement 1t is
said to be probA BILE that he will visit New
York before returning ITO Baltimore, Tie
business wIlIclials engaging tne attention of
the railroad =, PRESIDENT, rs reported to be in
64s.Sts4s1 sSN+s 80 # NJ